Inspiration III

Just attempting to see if I can figure out how to blow up this image. There is a way to do it but I can usually only do it by chance. There seems to be a trick to it that I just don't get. That is the trouble with working in isolation, there is a long learning-curve. I figured it out, you have to right-click on the image
     This is one of my favorite photos. It is not especially good, but it represents my favorite "stuff. " My Rapidograph pen and my Winsor & Newton paint set. I have had both of them for years. My paintings are very small so it does not take a lot of watercolor to finish a pen & ink drawing. Many years ago when it was my dream to be an artist there was an article in one of the art magazines about making sure that if you want to be professional, that you buy professional equipment. I followed the writer's directions. Paint really makes a big difference. When you buy student grade paint, you get student grade results. Anyone who has ever gone to grade school knows how to create mud with their paints. Making mud with professional grade paints is not impossible, but you learn an awful lot about color theory when you try. A lot of times you end up with some wonderful mixtures that are just what you are looking for...

Inspiration II

I am trying to figure out my camera, there are a couple of images I want to share but I cannot figure out how to post them.

              

Inspiration

Flowers are one of my favorite things to look at. I try to draw them but I am just not that good. This one is a little easier because it is in profile. I try to draw them from the top and it is a lesson in futility. My camera is able to do what I cannot and then I can translate what I see. Perhaps I will give this one a try, it is just such a pleasing photo.

Gratitude

Gratitude is such a tough topic for me. It seems that there is always something to complain about. My sister recently lost her home when a tree fell on it. She had not been in it long and it was destroyed. Rather than look at the fact that the place was empty at the time,you ask yourself  how often does a tree destroy a home? What are the odds? There have been more events like this in our part of the state in recent years. It seems tornadoes are more common. My sister was lucky, not everyone can say they avoided something like this. Anyway, I am grateful for my sister coming out unscathed. She had left the house to ride out the storm in a safer place. A good thing she did. She dodged a bullet. My dog has become more sensitive to storms as he has gotten older. He whines when a thunderstorm occurs. He was okay as a puppy, but now he is very sensitive. Perhaps there is the sense that they are more dangerous now than they once were. Or that now he realizes what they are. There is an increasing need to be grateful for the way that we all dodge bullets at times. In a way I have that over my dog, he doesn't know when he has been lucky and avoided a nasty situation.  Or perhaps in a way he does and I just don't realize it...

Gratitude is something that I have to work at. There is a lot to be grateful for if one takes the time to think about it. There is being able to help others. For a long time I didn't have that opportunity. My disability is one that makes gratitude tough. I often deal with bouts of self-pity. There is a saying that goes, I go about in self-pity while all the while I am pulled across the sky in a chariot of wind. It is paraphrased. I think that we all are miracles. It is amazing we are here. Picasso said that it is amazing that we don't all dissolve in our bathwater.

Dreams Die Hard

 The bookshelf in my studio. I have always wanted to be an artist. Ever since I was very little. I went to art school for a little while. It is so funny to think that even if we can't live our dream, there are ways we can adjust that give us solace. Even if it is just acknowledging that we have a dream...

Nothing Interferes With Creativity...

One of the little quotes I like to do. I have a tremendous problem with resentment at times and I have to remind myself that it affects my attitude in many subtle ways. This is one I was not aware of... Sometimes there is this tendency on my part to get down on myself. Reminding myself that things could be worse helps. And that sometimes it does a bit of good to stay grateful if at all possible. .
     My images always come out lopsided. How does one correct this?

Leaving Our Footprint

Sometime ago I had the opportunity to see a photoessay published in "Spirituality & Health" magazine. The article was about  seabird chicks that had been thousands of miles from civilization, yet were the victims of pollution. The story detailed the damage that was occurring when the chick's parents did not recognize plastics as being inedible. The chick's parents saw the plastic floating on the water and picked it up to feed to their young. Photos detailed the decomposed birds insides littered with plastic. I don't live near the ocean but the story really affected me. I could not believe how heartbreaking it must have been for the parents of those birds, and the pain the chicks must have went through. I am not pollution-conscious yet it did something to me. I immediately started recycling, something I had done sporadically, but with little motivation. Recently, there is more of a response on my part when I see sealife being threatened. That one article affected me more than anything that I'd experienced before. When I was younger I spent a few vacations at the Shore and it was always a pleasant experience. I'd been to Mexico several times to vacation near the ocean and these were  life-changing events... For many years aquariums were a source of great pleasure in my home. The life in the water has always influenced me. I'm not sure why. Lately I have been paying more attention to events and legislation that affect wildlife. Right now there is some legislation in the U.S House of Representatives that will affect endangered species. It is HR 2578. Take the time to learn about it and make your voice heard. We have only one world and even if you can't make it to the seashore like me, there are many ways to be involved. Even if it is only something as simple as recycling. Thanks. Dale